Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow, founder of Birch Bark Coffee.Kyle Scott/The Globe and Mail
Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow tells us how it all came together in his own words:
I went to the Assembly of First Nations water symposium six years ago and listened to other communities that were having infrastructure problems. When I came home to Ottawa, my mind was racing. I knew I had to do something to help.
Many people ask why I picked coffee. One layer is that we’re very social people, and we like to tell stories. Coffee allows people to spend hours talking. What better way to get across my message about the poor infrastructure in our communities?
I had no idea what I was doing. I was in my early 50s and had a consulting firm, but my background is justice. So this was all new to me.
I picked the name Birch Bark Coffee because I’m a band member and citizen of Whitefish River First Nation, specifically the district of Manitoulin Island, in the area called Birch Island. And there are tons of birch trees there. Originally, I focused on giving back—bringing education and awareness, and offering purification systems to my communities. It was a social enterprise that was cause-driven, with a pay-it-forward attitude. But I had no idea it would go so viral.
I have to give credit to my wife, who said, “You’d better make sure it’s fair trade, organic and very good.” So that’s what I did. I started selling to consumers online and then moved up to small mom-and-pop cafés interested in carrying it wholesale. I didn’t have a business or marketing strategy— I was learning as I went. It was a rocky road. A lot of money out of my pocket.
And then food services started contacting me, so we gained traction within the universities and colleges, so much so that I’m in 30 or 35 across Ontario, and some across Canada, as well. It was the student associations who saw our posts online reaching out to the food services and saying, “How can we get this coffee into our schools?” Because it was sustainable, ethical and meaningful.
Think about putting that feeling in a Mason jar and handing it to somebody. That’s the message I was giving to people: Drink a cup or buy a bag, and feel good because you’ve helped somebody. But how do you balance profitability, giving back and structuring everything so you don’t lose your shirt?
This past year, we came to Toronto to work with Reunion, our co-packers, because we were scaling up so much that my old models weren’t working. That has allowed me to expand, with better pricing and distribution. Now I can focus on the main legacy: giving back for education, mental health, two-spirited people, water and economic development.
People think I have this larger-than-life business, but it’s just little old me running everything. It’s a lot, but I enjoy it, and it gives me an opportunity to connect. Being 58 has given me more knowledge and experience to understand life and self-care. I gotta show people that, especially through an Indigenous lens, having a business doesn’t have to be monetary. You can also give back and make a difference in people’s lives.
It’s like walking in the snow with snowshoes on. People follow those prints. You’ve made a path. And when you leave good footprints for people in business, especially in Indigenous communities, they look up to you. And it gives you an opportunity to share your vision, not just for Indigenous people, but for everybody who wants to be an entrepreneur.
Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. Sign up today.